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Welcome back to RotoBaller, your source for all things fantasy sports! We have only four games on today's NBA DFS main slate on Draftkings tonight. For those of you grinding NBA DFS like I am every day, I have my favorite combination of value plays and high-priced studs to help you get your lineups started.
The main injury news to monitor today revolves around the Toronto Raptors, who are currently listing Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, and Fred Vanvleet as questionable. Draymond Green is also listed as questionable along with Devonte' Graham. If Toronto ends up missing key pieces tonight, we can target their remaining core players but if they end up playing a few of those guys then there are probably better options considering how Kyle Lowry, Norman Powell, and Pascal Siakam are priced.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 3/5/20. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. Find me on Twitter @ThunderDanDFS where I am usually tweeting about fantasy sports and DFS. Remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before line-up lock.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Stephen Curry - PG, GSW vs. TOR ($8,000)
There is some risk to playing Steph considering he hasn't played since the first few weeks of the season and he is on an "undetermined minute limit" according to his coach Steve Kerr. However, I am willing to roll the dice on him here. He's returning the court at home against the team that beat the Warriors in the finals last year, and while I am not a narrative guy that's a pretty cool backdrop for this game. Steph has a 43% usage rate this year (super small sample size) without D'Angelo Russell and a solid matchup here against Kyle Lowry and a Raptors team that has struggled against point guards. Curry has been practicing for a while and preparing for this return so I don't think we see any rust here. If he plays anywhere close to thirty minutes, he's got the potential to be an incredible GPP play with his shooting and playmaking ability.
Shake Milton - PG, PHI @ SAC ($6,500)
The Sixers are still without Joel Embiid, Josh Richardson, and Ben Simmons tonight as they travel to Sacramento to take on the Kings. Shake Milton finally cooled off against the Lakers in their last game, however, he still carries a 29% usage rate and is producing at a 1.1 DK points-per-minute rate this season with those three Sixers' starters off the floor. I look for him to bounce back in a big way tonight in a good spot against this mediocre Kings team and he has a solid individual matchup with De'Aaron Fox who continues to be a below-average defender.
Cody Martin - SG/SF, CHA vs. DEN ($4,500)
Martin (Cody, not Caleb) is a solid value tonight on a slate that doesn't have a whole lot of it so far. If Devante' Graham ends up missing tonight's game then expect Martin to start at shooting guard. However, even if Graham plays Martin should remain in the rotation and anchor the second unit since Malik Monk remains out. He's scored nineteen or more DK points in his last five games and has seen steady minutes regardless of Graham's status. I expect the Hornets to keep this one close at home and will be targeting this game for a few other plays.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Mike Scott- PF, PHI @ SAC ($3,800)
With the Sixers being shorthanded again tonight, we could see Scott draw another start at power forward. He's played 29 and 36 minutes in their last two games and has been very productive with 30 and 28 DK points in those games. His ability to stretch the court and make perimeter shots is really valued by this Philadelphia team and he's clearly ahead of Kyle O'Quinn on the depth chart. They badly need some scoring with both Embiid and Simmons out of the lineup so I expect Scott to continue to log heavy minutes whether he starts or comes off the bench.
Danuel House - SF/PF, HOU vs. LAC ($4,000)
While his teammate Robert Covington is the guy who has been putting up some big numbers lately, House has continued to play heavy minutes in the Rockets' small-ball lineups at small forward or power forward. His game log shows that he can be a very "hit and miss" type player that is best reserved for tournaments, but as long as he's playing 25-35 minutes a night in this high octane offense he has a lot of upside at this price. Like I mentioned earlier, there isn't a lot of obvious value on this slate as of now so I see House as a sneaky value play in a game with a solid total and competitive environment.
Paul George - SF, LAC @ HOU ($7,400)
Staying in the Rockets-Clippers game, I am targeting the cheapest superstar on either side with PG13 costing only 7.4k. While he's been living in the 30 DK point range lately, this is a true ceiling spot for George based on his history against the Rockets. Over the years he has put up some huge numbers against Houston and his "three and D" style of game is perfect for the style of play that Houston runs. He should get plenty of open looks from downtown tonight and his ability to rack up defensive stats is a major plus as both Russell Westbrook and James Harden are turnover machines.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Nikola Jokic - C, DEN @ CHA ($9,500)
Some may not want to pay up for Jokic tonight based on blowout concerns, but the Nuggets are only seven-point favorites on the road in Charlotte tonight against a Hornets team that is playing some improved basketball lately. This matchup is one of the best on the slate tonight for big men, as Charlotte gives up a lot of production on the interior. It's a slow-paced game that should feature Jokic in a lot of half-court sets and he should be able to dominate on the glass and in the post. I simply can't ignore this relatively cheap price tag for the Joker and I firmly believe he could be the top raw point scorer on the slate tonight.
